My ‘worth’ is directly rooted in the consumer charge for total appraisal services.

I’m not much for sharing, so it’s all mine and whatever they quoted the consumer is what I expect the number to be, or greater.

Appraisers who don’t know what consumers are being charged with a particular company are operating in the blind. Know your client.

Then get a new electric panel, updated furnace, new hot water heater, put gfi’s in every place current code requires, repaint the whole home, new flooring throughout, get a new roof, extra wide gutters with leaf guards, fix any sank concrete issues, improve your kitchen appliances, get a bath remodel, and um…. You either got it or you don’t.

That’s why I post my complete data research within every report, well most of it. I use a customizable 1 liner data set and may sort that out and parse it further. I routinely put my primary 1 year set, 90 day cut, and also a larger less filtered set or other into reports.

Nobody can say I was not aware of ‘comps’. And if they try to put something on me that is not in that data set, the easy go to defense is that example is out of range, I applied sensible and lenient search criteria to examine only similar size, type, and age of properties.

Agents don’t do it that way, they just click the 1 up cma tools and seek comps by price. The order managers are advocates of the lender. Deal with it, get better at effective defense within reports so you don’t get blowback and calls and stips.

One day I’ll manage a panel myself most likely. And I certainly will question comps use as a routine process. That will be an essential part of my job to assure quality. Appraisers will either be doing it right, in a transparent way, or I’ll wonder if they threw darts. There is no better defense than posted data within the report. It’s so easy, if you have a good detailed workfile and consistent research method with reliable file labeling as you save them, adding workfile data into final reports takes 2 minutes and is as easy as upload pdf tool and then stack the file within the right order in the report. Cheers.

Don’t confuse protecting yourself and your insurer from liability with unnecessarily expanded scope of work. I put in 100 photos minimum, and readers of my report actually learn something about the real estate and market at hand.

In regular expansive suburbia those policies and approaches, 2 in 90, 2 a or uc, 2 other to bracket, etc, those are effective approach methods. It’s give or take so perspective is necessary, the bigger picture.

Hot shot lawyers will run this show once again when the bubble pops. Don’t be left holding the bag. Pictures are cheap. Words are free. Time may be money but moving too fast is why I watch them come and go like shooting stars. Do not move fast or cut corners or just do the minimum unless you have already paid the retainer for a specialized lawyer.

Doubtful that is an accurate statement. It is nearly impossible to acquire any mortgage lending work from any avenue what so ever, ‘amc’ or ‘direct’, without being in a scenario where the distribution clerks are in one way or another funded via co mingled fees. Even if you’ve paid a mercury fee or similar, you’ve just paid a digi clerk via offloaded cost which is remarkably similar to co mingled fees, just in a slightly different billing form.

If you don’t ask consumers exactly how much they are being billed for ‘appraisal services’, you can’t know for sure.

Things ran so much smoother when the mortgage originators paid for all those services themselves or the act of distribution was integrated into their operational workload. In 10 years I’ve only found one small local credit union whom uses their own dedicated employees whom also do other tasks, to assign orders. Everyone else ‘hires’ someone to ‘manage’ panels, they are funded via skimming from the consumers appraisal services fee charge.

As usual, this all boils down to sound money issues..

I live in a difference state, those fees are much higher

Fees paid by lenders to AMCs have increased far more significantly than fees paid to appraisers over the past two years. 2014/2015 common AMC fee was $450-$495. Most are now $650. That’s why when someone posted a Servicelinks appraisal fee offer of $350 on a $650 overall fee yesterday drove me nuts.

The only reason anyone wants us to lower our fees (further than they have been forced down already) is that they too want a spot at the feeding trough.

I hold nothing against the man nor his merry band of Kool-Aid drinking all stars, but in reality, with having dozens of back and forths with him over the years, I understand his true colors (now blocked) and don’t wish to be the fish in the bowl.

I maybe seeking the truth, but I’m not seeking the spotlight by uploading a YouTube video showing how only one wall on a square house could be measured with my Disto Laser Measurer to get the overall GLA.

Sometimes you just have to agree to disagree.

Seek the truth.

If one can’t handle the truth, sells out to corporate sponsors via his podcasts, supports the AMC model, is perhaps part of the problem while trying to make a dollar off the appraiser, and ultimately takes his ball and goes home by blocking me from his site, then my decision to not be the lion in the cage for all to stare at or listen to, was the correct one.

When you say “We would like the dialogue”, who are you referring to, as I see NO one has provided a single comment over his last 100 podcasts.

VHS tapes for sale, anyone, anyone.

Seek the truth.

Bill, if he’s invited you on I hope you will consider it. An honest airing of the differences would be good for all. I was interviewed by him once and found him to be a gracious host.

I disagree with man of his esposued methods but because I know of one successful appraiser that uses them, that is also honest and highly competent, I cant condemn them across the board. I tend to think my friends is an exception because of his highly developed comfort level with all things “IT’ and his personal organizational skills…but certainly some of Dustin’s ideas have been applied. Right along those of Roy Meyer.

I think you may be able to articulate the concerns the profession has better than I could. Hope you will consider going on and talking to him about it. I think you’d find it more like talking to an old friend that you disagree with, more than a hostile debate.

Comingled appraiser fees I can’t comment on because I don’t work for companies that do that.

Baggins – I’m speaking from experience of a cost-plus model…where the appraisal fee is separate from the management fee. The pressure is on lowering the appraiser’s fee, because they don’t understand why it was $450 pre-2016 and now it’s $550 post-2016 and the volume has dropped about 60%. To them the increase was a *RESULT* of the 2016 crisis. We took it as a way to actually get fees up to where they should be and they saw it as a supply/demand. BUT, for the most part, appraisers here are doing a good job at not letting the fees slip.

Appraisers think fees shouldn’t change, in fact they should increase and the lenders do not see it this way. I understand that in other states this may be different. I am only speaking from my own state.

And, supply and demand DOES affect other professions. If there are more plumbers than there are people who need plumbers the cost of a plumber will drop.

The only way this changes is if the borrower is no longer required to pay for the appraisal. Because they will ALWAYS shop for the cheapest price.

Honestly, we appraisers are the only ones who think we should be paid higher than we are.

The clients who WILL pay and DO care about our quality, service and compliance are miniscule to the number of lenders. And most of us are not willing to share who they are.

Consider the possibility it is collusion to fix or manipulate prices arising from lenders various national conventions.

He has invited you on the podcast several times. Why don’t you step up to the plate? We would all enjoy the dialogue 🙂

I look forward to seeing all you folks there and finally meeting in person.

1. Hire someone to come in and make it spic and span
2. At minimum clean up front yard (neat and kept appearing).
3. Hows your exterior paint? Maybe just the ‘brightwork’ (trim) could be freshened up.

These are a few of the most basic things a person can do. Can’t guarantee ‘more’ but a pretty cost effective way of avoiding ‘less’ than possible. Bottom line is your property relationship to recent sold similar properties.

Right on !!!

If your talking short term clutter versus years of deferred maintenance, then there’s nothing to worry about (no effect on value). As value is comparative, perhaps your best foot forward is to time your refinance to known recent like sales/comps that are of a value that will meet your goals.

Good luck.